Means



May 13, 1924.

J. S. MATTHEW SPOKE COVERING MEANS Filed Feb. 13

Patented May 13, 1924.

TATES 1,494,179 PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN SMART MATTHEW,.0F SUTTON COLDFIELD, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE DU'N- LOJP RUBBER COMPANY, LIMITED, F REGENTS PARK, LONDON, ENGLAND, A

BRITISH COMPANY.

SPOKECOVERING MEANS.

Application filed February 13, 1922. Serial No. 536,249.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, J OHN'. SMART MAT- TI-IEW, a British subject, residing at The Manor, Sutton Coldield, in the county of Warwick, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in S poketjovering Means, of which the followmg 1s a specification.

This invention relates to spoke cover ng 1 means for vehicle wheels comprismg 1nner and outer discs adapted to be fitted at the sides of the wheel and connectmg members disposed between the two discs and attached thereto or to suitable parts on or associated with the discs so that the latter may be retained in position at the sides of the wheel. The present invent on relates especially t-o spoke covering dlscs for detachable wire spoked wheels for motor vehicles and comprises improvements in the means for securing the discs in pos1t1on and m the discs themselves.

According to this invention the connecting members are attached to the inner disc at points nearer to the per1phery than to the centre of the disc so that they extend across the Wheel to anchoring points ad acent to the front or outer end of the hub at a substantial inclination to the axis of the hub. The said anchoring points may be provided on a ring or collar seated at the front or outer end of the hub and the outer disc may be detachably carried by or secured on this ring or collar. The -1nner disc s preferably shaped or adapted to bear aga nst the inner edge or side of the wheel run and against the inner end of the hub, whilst the outer disc may bear against the outer edge or side of the wheel rim with its ring or collar bearing against the front or outer end of the hub, so that the two discs can be retained in position without bearing on the spokes. The connecting members may be hooked to eyes, lugs or the like on the 1nner disc and the said ring or collar and they may be tensioned or adjusted to pull the inner disc and the said ring or collar against their seatings. The wheel for which the discs are especially intended comprises an outer set of inclined spokes and an inner set of substantially vertical spokes.

Therefore the outer disc may be coned or dished to a substantial extent to suit the inclination of'the outer spokes, whilst the inner disc may be more or less fiat. The inner disc, being more or less fiat does not possess the rigidity of the outer disc and it may be strengthened, for example, by providing ribs or corrugations thereon which may be adapted to form or receive the eyes, lugs or the like to which the aforesaid connecting members are attached. The discs may be made of metal such as aluminum, tin, steelor of any other suitable material such as fibre or celluloid and they may be grooved or otherwise shaped to fit or seat closely against the wheel rim and the hub. In order that the said invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect the same will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a diagrammatic transverse sectional View (partly in elevation) showing, one embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is a front view the upper half of which is shown in section with the outer disc removed.

Figure 3 is a sectional detail view of a modified form of the invention.

A and B represent respectively the hub shell and rim of an ordinary wire spoked wheel of which the spokes are indicated by the legend S, as shown in Figure l. C represents the inner spoke covering disc which at its periphery is adapted to fit close against the inner edge or clinch of the rim l3 and which is provided with a central opening the edge around which is formed to bear against the inner end of the hub shell A as shown in Figure 1. D is the outer spoke covering disc shaped at its periphery to fit against theouter edge or clinch of the rim B whilst it is formed with a central opening to enable it to be placed on a collar D adapted to be seated on the outer end of the, hub shell A. The outer disc D is coned to a substantial degree but the inner disc C is practically flat and consequently does not possess the rigidity of the outer coned disc, the inner disc C may therefore be strengthened by ribs orIcorrugations provided or formed thereon and in the example shown strengthening ribs in the form of strips C" are attached to the inner disc C and provided with lugs or eyes C at points near the periphery of the said disc C. E E represent the connecting members or tension rods which are each composed of two short lengths of Wire hooked at their outer ends and threaded at their inner ends to screw into oppositely disposed threads in a turnbuckle or socket E. These rods E are hooked to the lugs C on the strips 0 and tolugs or eyes D on or in the aforesaid collar D prior to the outer disc D being placed in position. By rotating the turnbuckles or sockets E, the rods E may be tensioned to pull the inner disc 0 closely against the rim B and the inner end of the hub shell A and also to retain the ring D firmly in position on the outer end of the hub shell, without any attachment to or pull on the spokes of the wheel. The outer disc D is then placed on the collar D so as to bear at its outer periphery against the rim B, and it is retained in position by a nut D threaded on to collar D; preferably a fibre washer D is interposed between the disc D and the nut D as shown in Figure 1. As will be seen from Figure 1 the connecting or tension members or rods E are inclined across the vertical plane of the wheel, so that an efiicient seating of the collar D and the inner disc C in their respective positions can be obtained with less tension on the rods E than would be necessary if the rods were disposed parallel or approximately parallel with the axis of the wheel. Instead of using tension rods E as shown tension springs S as shown in Fig. 3. may be used for connecting the inner disc C and the collar D together and retaining them in position on the wheel.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. Spoke covering means for vehicle wheels, comprising a disc for the inner side of the wheel, connecting members adapted to be attached to the said disc at a point nearer the periphery than the centre of the disc, and anchoring means disposed at the outer end of the hub adjacent to the spokes, the said connecting members being secured to said anchoring means.

2. Spoke covering means for vehicle wheels, comprising an inner disc, a collar .at the outer end of the hub, tension members attached to the said inner disc and to said collar for pulling the collar against the outer end of the hub and retaining the disc firmly against the hub and the Wheel rim, an outer disc seated around the said collar, and means for retaining the said outer disc against the wheel rim.

3. Spoke covering means for vehicle wheels, comprising an inner disc, a collar seated on the outer end of the hub, adjustable tension members detachably secured to the said inner disc and to the collar and an outer disc detachably secured to the said collar by means independent of the said connecting members.

4. Spoke covering means for vehicle wheels, comprising a substantially fiat inner disc, strengthening members thereon, a frusto-conical outer disc, anchoring members secured around a central opening in the outer disc and connecting members attached to the said anchoring members and to the strengthening members on the inner disc.

5. Spoke covering means for vehicle wheels comprising an inner disc formed with a central hole and shaped around this hole to bear against the inner end of the hub, and shaped at its outer periphery to bear against the wheel rim, a collar seated against the outer end of the hub, an outer disc detachably mounted on said collar and shaped at its outer periphery to fit against the wheel rim, and .tension members connected to the inner disc and to the aforesaid collar to pull the inner disc and the collar against their respective seatings, the said tension members being fitted prior to the application of the outer disc.

6. Spoke covering means for vehicle wheels comprising an inner disc having anchoring members near its outer periphery, tension members attached to said anchoring members, a collar seated against the outer end of the hub, and formed with anchoring members to which the tension members are connected, a seating on said collar, an outer disc bearing against said seating, and means for retaining the outer disc on the collar.

7. Spoke covering means for vehicle wheels, comprising an inner disc havin lugs thereon, a collar having lugs and adapted to be seated on the outer end of the hub, an outer disc, means for retaining the latter disc on the collar and adjustable hook-like connecting members adapted to be connected to the lugs on the inner disc and on the collar.

8. Spoke covering means for vehicle wheels comprising an inner disc provided on its inner surface with members having eyelets therein, a collar formed with eyelets adapted to be. seated against the outer end of the hub, tension connecting members hooked to the eyelets on the inner disc and the collar, an outer disc, and means for securing the outer disc on said collar.

9. Spoke covering-means for vehicle wheels comprising an inner disc formed with strengthenin members having eyelets therein, a collar s aped to abut against the outer end of the hub and formed with eyelets, tension members, each comprising rods having hooks at their outer endsfor engaging with the aforesaid eyelets and being oppositely screw threaded at their inner ends so as to be'connected by a turnbuckle, an outer disc adapted to be seated on said collar, and means for retaining the outer disc inposition on said collar.

10. Spoke covering means for vehicle wheels, comprising a centrally perforated inner disc ada ted to bear a ainst the inner end of the hu and against e inner part of the wheel rim, a screw threaded collar adapted to be seated on the outer end of the hub, a centrally perforated outer disc adapted to be seated around said collar and to bear against the outer part of the wheel rim, a securing nut threaded on to the collar for clam ing the outer disc thereon, stri -1ike mem rs attached to the inner disc an provided with lugs, lugs on the said collar, tensioning members each comprising hookedwires threaded into a turnbuckle, and hooked to the In on the said inner disc and on the said co ar.

JOHN SMART MATTHEW. 

